For the Blue
by kaitothegreat
Summary: It all started when Kaito got himself in a stupid "Finding Nemo" journey. And close enough to the script, he'd also happened to meet this crazy and feisty woman who had a knack with kids and doves. Pet-Shop!AU


For the Blue

It all started when Kaito got himself in a stupid "Finding Nemo" journey. And close enough to the script, he'd also happened to meet this crazy and feisty woman who had a knack with kids and doves. Pet-Shop!AU

* * *

"You're a _murderer_ , Uncle Kuroba."

Kaito stared grudgingly at the mess on the ground. A large pool of water was spreading across the marble floor (He was inwardly thankful the Kudos' were rich enough to afford marble flooring, which would save him much more effort to clean up, _later_ ) and the pebbles, little stones and a bunch of hairy seaweed were sprawled messily around.

It wasn't an accident when he avoided the gaze of the dead clown fishes, which were staring and silently screaming _you bloody murderer_ at him. But it _was_ an accident that this happened, so technically, he would be ruled as manslaughter if someone was going to seek justice for these bunch of hideous creatures. But since he was in this house, the very house that belonged to the greatest detective in Japan, it wouldn't be surprising if he woke up tomorrow in a cell after being tranquilized.

"I'll buy you a new one."

"Nothing can replace them!" Conan growled and kneaded his eyes with both fists to stop his urge to cry.

His tricks and magic always worked wonders in occasion like this, but he wasn't really in the mood to whip out anything when there's a mess in front of him.

Conan suddenly burst out crying.

Make it two.

Kaito pulled the child away from the shattered glass pieces and squatted down to his level. The urge to ruffle his neat hair was strong, but he didn't want to provoke the child even further. Apparently, both father and son were pretty conscious with their hair and how that little tail that poked out at the end looked.

"I'm really sorry, alright? I didn't mean to break the fish tank." Kaito tried to sound sorry, but honestly, he felt sorrier for himself and the scare the fishes had gave him.

"I saw you taking out a hammer from your sleeve!"

"It's a... reflex."

Conan sniffed. "A reflex?"

"Yes. A reflex." Kaito knew this kid's small brain was able to understand much more complicated words than this. It was probably the meaning behind the specific word that Conan didn't understand, but there was not a need to explain that. The last thing he wanted was a kid to know he had a phobia for fishes, for God's sake.

"You're a _murderer_."

"Please stop calling me that."

"But it's true."

Kaito gave up. He glanced over at the watch Conan was wearing. The Holmes' freak should still be busy with his Shinigami skills somewhere in the city and his ever-loving wife was currently in Osaka, helping out her friend's pregnancy issues and wouldn't be back till after dinner. _Hence_ , he was here, doing his dumb baby-sitting duties when he could be practicing for his show next week. They didn't mention anything about setting a new tank in the basement, much less having fishes swimming in it. Not like anyone knew about his phobia for fishes, but hey, Shinichi could've at least said something about it. Just a hint would do to make Kaito seal the door to the basement and never taking a step in it ever again.

 _Three more hours and Ran will be back._ He contemplated a little longer before looking over at the mess. Despite the title of the ever-loving wife, he had forgotten to add that she was currently undergoing training for the World Karate Championships held at the end of the year and Kaito had no interest in being part of her training regime, at all.

"As the dutiful son I've always heard about, I supposed you can show me the right way to clean up the mess?"

"This is _your_ mess." Conan pouted like a brat he was.

"A little help will do great." Kaito said, a trace of urge in his voice. "I'll buy you a tank with all the seaweed you want, and I'll even give you some of my stones collection I got when I travelled around the world during my magic tours, as a repayment, alright?"

Apparently his beautiful stones collection wasn't any of Conan's interest, much to his displeasure. "What about Nemo?"

"What?"

"The fishes!"

"Oh yes, about the fishes." Kaito had to use all the nerve cells in his body to refrain from rolling his eyes. "I think turtles are better. They are cute. We can get turtles to replace the fishes."

"No! I want my clown fishes!"

No time to argue _here_ , of all places. "Fine. We'll get them, after cleaning the mess. So... you'll help?" Kaito stuck out his little finger. Look at how far he had come, the world's renowned magician asking for a kid's assistance because he couldn't touch dead fishes. He got to come up with some excuse to get Conan to pick them up after he'd cleared the broken glass and dried the floor. Maybe-

Conan's sulk went away a little. "Can we do a ritual for them?"

 _Oh. My. God._

.o.

Kaito liked children as a concept, but in the same way he liked the Indian continent. It was nice to know it existed but he had no knowledge about it and had never feel any real desire to spend time there. Still, there were times when he found that having kids wasn't such a bad idea, but in a temporary way when needed and not requiring him to raise them up to be responsible adults, because being responsible was something even he was trying to cope with himself.

"Oh, Conan? Are you tired?" Kaito pat the little boy's head as he sighed dramatically and eyed at the few teenagers who were sitting in their seats, some focused on the window and some at their books. "Poor you. You've been walking all day, haven't you? I'm sorry. If only I've boarded the bus earlier, maybe I could've gotten a seat for you."

And so, a kind teenager had responded and stood up from his seat on the bus, affording it to Conan, or more specifically to Kaito as he let Conan sit and bounce on his lap throughout their ride to town. Like mentioned, being responsible was the last thing that was programmed into his brain, so the car he'd always used to travel was sent for maintenance after he had _accidentally_ drove into a ditch.

They alighted the bus after several stops and walked a distance down the road where it lead to the busier part of the district. It was near evening on a weekday and everywhere was bustling with many adults rushing off to somewhere better than their workplace. Kaito would've preferred to stay with his work forever if he had a choice.

"So," He breathed out. "Where is the pet store your dad had bought those fishes from?"

Conan scratched his head and eyed around the pavement they were standing on. His face lit up when recognition burst into his face as he pointed further down the streets that lead to more stores. "There!"

 _Let this end soon._ Kaito sighed inwardly and took Conan's tiny hand as they walked towards the direction.

It didn't take Kaito long to realize most of the stores here were pretty much out of place. They passed by a tattoo shop and next to it was a florist store. What an irony. And a fast food restaurant was located beside a store selling mirrors, as if it wasn't enough to remind the customers about the amount of calories they had eaten. So when Conan stopped right after a kid's clothing store, Kaito sort of knew it was a pet shop. He was right. _Why not buy a dog and name it Takashi and treat it like the baby you didn't have?_ How comforting.

"This one?" Kaito prompted.

"Yeap!"

Kaito didn't have to ask twice since Conan's memory wasn't something he would doubt. He pushed the glass door open and expected the smell of fur, pee and whatever a pet store usually produced to overwhelm him. Instead, much to his disbelief, the store smelt nothing of it. He glanced around to check if he was in right place. It couldn't have been wrong, with all the pet food and empty new cages placed around for sale.

"Welco- Oh, Conan-kun!"

"Aoko-neechan!"

Conan released Kaito's hand and skipped to the end of the store and to the counter where payment was made. Kaito watched as the lady bent down and handed a glass bowl filled with sweets from the counter. "Have one!"

"Thank you!" Conan took a while to choose the flavour he liked, but she was more than patient to wait till he had picked one.

From a distance, all Kaito could see was a faint profile of the woman. Dark brown and messy hair at the top that grew straight and smooth to the bottom. Her jaws were sharp and upon closer inspection, which he managed to do after sauntering towards the two, she had rosy cheeks and bright blue eyes that reminded him of the sea he saw many years back in one of the countries he had toured, but he couldn't remember where.

Though Kaito didn't practice invisibility, she had made him feel like he'd mastered the art of it. "Uh." He started and caught his tongue. Wow, this got to be the worse entrance he had ever done in his life. What's so great about the blue in her eyes to let this stupid fault slip?

She blinked and flicked her gaze over to him before looking back at Conan again. "Who's this guy?"

"Uncle Kuroba." Conan gave a hard stare. "He murdered my fishes."

"I thought we've talked about this?" Kaito rubbed a hand down his face.

No one was listening to him. She produced a mighty gasp. "Don't tell me-"

"Yes." The infamous Conan's pout was back. "Nemo, Nemomo, Nemomomo and Nemomomomo are all dead."

Not the bloody names again. He only came to realize halfway during the bus ride that Conan named these fishes after watching a movie he had deemed as his favourite last week. Of course, _Finding Nemo._ Kaito scoffed to himself. He didn't watch the movie (Obviously. It's a movie about _fishes_ ), but Conan told him it was a good ending and that's all he needed to know. Kaito bit his lips and the laughter he had been holding in when Conan was stuttering the names during his so-called ritual's speech was coming back. He only managed to securely keep his poker-face when the lady shot him a glare.

Kaito blinked. "What?" This lady really needed to set her priorities right. Conan might be the kid who required love and pacifying, but _he_ was the one who would be making the purchase. She should be entertaining him and offering him sweets and not to Conan.

"What's done has been done." She afforded a comforting smile at Conan before glancing over to Kaito, the sweetness of her lips turned bitter. "Why don't we see the other clown fishes? The rest of the siblings will be more than happy to be under your care and I'm sure you'll protect them well."

"Yeah, I definitely will! And Uncle Kuroba had promised me he's buying them as repayment."

She nodded without a word and gestured them to the corner of the shop. Kaito didn't need any warning to know where she was about to lead them and this was when he felt the legitimate terror rising in him. He remained in his position and pushed Conan forward, making sure his voice wouldn't break before he spoke. "Go and take a look. Tell me when you're done choosing."

"But you got to choose with me." Conan said.

"No. I don't see a need for it." His gaze momentarily shifted to the woman again, who was giving him an obvious judging look. Ok. What on earth did he do to offend her in any way?

"Of course there's a need," she scoffed. "I suppose you can at least pick out the news one for Conan-kun and out of respect for the fishes you had murdered."

One of his eyes twitched. "I think you're overreacting a little here." Not a little. In fact, crazily over the boundary of any human being could ever react. "And I didn't murder the fishes."

"Then how did they die?" She crossed her arms, challenging.

"He threw a hammer at the glass tank." Conan helped to answer, but it definitely didn't _help_ in any way to lessen the unnecessary tension. She simply quirked an eyebrow.

"It's a reflex." Kaito continued calmly.

"What kind of reflex is _that_?" She lifted the other eyebrow back at him.

"Fine, _fine_." He raised his hands in defeat and gestured her to continue the lead. "Just get this over and done with."

She suddenly flashed a victorious smile and Kaito got to admit, it was one of a kind. The kind that he didn't expect. The kind that was heart-stopping when it practically came out from nowhere. The kind that made him want to smile back. He bit his tongue and pretended the wall was painted with gold.

They snaked through a couple of rows of different type of bird food before arriving to the horrific glass tanks. There were two levels, one was at the height which Conan was comfortable to see while the taller one was more suitable for Kaito to look, not like it mattered to him because he couldn't look at all. He stepped away and leaned against a shelf, trying to find back the air and his soul that left his body.

"The clown fishes are here, Conan-kun." She pointed at a tank near her knee and Conan excitedly came to her side. "I've shifted it to the bottom row like what your father suggested. It's easier for kids."

"Dad always gives good suggestions!" Conan nodded his head enthusiastically. "Anyway Uncle Kuroba! Which one do you think look like Nemomomo?"

"All of it are the same to me." He muttered with his eyes closed.

He could hear a snort, and it was something he was sure Conan wasn't capable of making, for now. "You aren't even looking."

"I don't have to look to know that." He dared himself to open an eye and stare back at her. Good. At least he had a focus instead of the hundreds of fishes in front of him. Her blue eyes were nice to stare at anyway.

She shook her head amusingly before looking back at Conan. "So did you find any one that you like?"

"I like all of them!" Conan said elatedly, his tiny palms pressing against the glass tank as he swooned at the sight of the orange fishes swimming in the water. He turned towards Kaito. "Uncle Kuroba, how many fishes can I buy?"

"I've kill- I mean," Kaito cleared his throat. "Four fishes had died. So we're buying four. You should know your math."

"Hold on a second." She suddenly straightened her posture. He was half expecting her to give him a scowl and rant about how sweet and cute _Conan-kun_ deserved so much more when she sent him a look that was completely opposite of what he imagined. "You said you've broken the fish tank. It means you have no... fish tank now?"

Realization dawned upon him as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He was so focused on the bloody fishes that he'd forgotten something so important. "Yes. We still have the stand, but the fish tank is all shattered. Need to buy a new one."

"You can't _buy_ a new one. At least not now, I mean."

Kaito frowned. "Then what do you mean?"

From his side long glance, he noted how Conan's shoulders suddenly slumped.

"As clown fishes live in salt water habitats, the fish tank and its filter had to be pre-ordered and specially made." She sighed and stared down at Conan, seeming to have noticed the same. "You'll have to drop by again when it's done."

"I have to come back," he grind his teeth. " _Here?_ "

"Yes." She gave a smile that had nothing to do with her inward emotion.

Kaito rubbed an eye wearily, already feeling the energy draining away from him just by imagining how he had to stand a distance away from so many fishes _again_. But what else could he do? "Fine. Let me know when it's done."

She signalled him towards the counter, leaving Conan silently staring dreamily at the fishes. Kaito was more than glad to follow. She tapped a few things into the computer, printed out the receipt and slid it across the counter. "This is the exact model Kudo-kun had previously purchased. It's a bit pricey, but if you're buying as a repayment, I thought you'll want to get the same."

Of course, a _fancy_ fish tank for his fancy house. The price was pretty much just as fancy, but it wasn't something Kaito couldn't afford. He plucked a pen beside the cash register and twisted it around his fingers, ready to fill in whatever particulars that was needed. "It's fine. My fault anyway." He muttered the last sentence a little to himself.

She whipped out a piece of paper with a couple of blanks on it underneath the desk and passed it to him. "I'll need your contact details to be filled in."

He obeyed and swiftly wrote down his information. It could be a good time to try his ambidextrous skills, but he would prefer getting out of here and away from the scaly creatures soon. After he was done, he passed back the pen and the paper.

"Kuroba... Kaito." She stared at the content.

"Yes, you read that right." He scoffed before leaning a little closer to her. "And to build a better customer-relationship between us, what's your name?" All along, he was inwardly hoping Conan would say her name the second time after the greeting since he didn't manage to hear it properly the first time, but here was his chance.

She glanced up and leaned back, her face clearly depicted _too near, you asshole_ and he chose the wiser to look completely unoffended. It took her a while to speak. "Nakamori Aoko."

"Nice to meet you." He showed her the grin he usually showered to his lovely audiences and he must have got it right because there was this briefest look of astonishment that flashed across Aoko's face, and he took it as a good sign. Whatever good sign Kaito was thinking, he wasn't sure what it was.

On the cue, they could hear the sound of the glass door swung open and the originally muffled horns and loud chatters on the streets became clear and loud until it died down when the door fully closed again.

"Welcome!" Aoko chimed.

The new customer gave a polite smile and made her way to one of the sections herself.

"Do I need to put any deposits?" He asked.

She shook her head. "It's fine."

Kaito wasn't sure how she managed her business, though it wasn't like he had the authority to care. He turned away and angled his hands around his mouth so his shout could be amplified. "Now that this is done, it's time to go." He called out for Conan, hoping his voice was loud enough. He didn't want to go back _there._ "Your mom wants me to feed you before she comes back and we better do it now."

Sometimes, it was hard to imagine Conan had half of Shinichi's DNA when he actually turned out to be an obedient and loving boy _most_ of the time. He had listened to Kaito and was already at his side by the time Kaito finished the sentence. Conan rubbed his stomach gleefully before glancing up at Aoko with a bubble of hope. "You'll call real soon right, Aoko-neechan?"

"Yeah! Once the tank is here, you can come down to pick it up, along with the fishes."

Kaito closed his eyes. Maybe if he opened them again, he could actually be in his quiet room and twiddling with his tricks. This must all be just a dream. He peeled open his eyes. Nope, not a dream. Aoko was staring at him with an incredulous look on her face, her hand still holding onto the slip of paper he had written his contacts down, which she would use to inform him to _get the fishes._

"What?" He muttered at her. She was still looking at him in a funny way.

Aoko nonchalantly shrugged. "Nothing."

Not bothering to pry further, Kaito then pulled Conan and headed for the door before the latter suddenly turned and gave a wave.

"Goodbye Aoko-neechan!"

"Goodbye Conan-kun!" She paused for a while before continuing her wave. "And goodbye Uncle Kuroba!"

As Conan finished bidding his innocent farewell, Kaito clicked his tongue and snarled over his shoulder. "Who are you calling Uncle Kuroba?"

"Who else but you?" She childishly stuck out her tongue and disappeared from his sight to assist the customer that was loitering behind the shelves.

.o.

"Ah, Conan-kun and Uncle Kuroba. Welcome!"

"Aoko-neechan!"

Conan skipped away from Kaito's side and hopped over to Aoko with a big grin. She returned the smile as big as his and offered him the same bowl of sweets. Once Conan was done choosing, she kept it back on the counter. Wow, so nothing for him, _huh?_

"I'm pretty sure our age isn't _that_ far off." Kaito drawled as he strolled to their side.

She showed a wry smile and approached to the side of the counter and pat on the large box she had put on a spare table. "The special filter is already fixedly installed with the tank and all you need to do is plug in. It's the same as before. Even Conan-kun knows how to start it up." Her hand then smoothed over to a bag beside the tank. "And this is the salt for the water."

"Got it." He slotted his hands into his white pants. Aoko had called him right on time after his dress rehearsal and Conan, who was there to beautifully witness the faces Kaito made during the conversation, knew it was about his fishes. He became too eager to get here that Kaito hadn't got the time to change out, but his blue shirt and white pants blended him well in the crowd anyway. He did promise Conan he would bring him to his rehearsal, and also about how he would tell him right away when the fish tank was ready... Kaito sighed.

"Conan-kun!" Aoko exclaimed and pounded a fist into the air. "Ready to choose the fishes?"

"Yeah!"

"Whatever you've picked, I'm all for it." Kaito waved them off, not bothering to display his fake enthusiasm. "Go ahead, I'm staying here."

This time, surprisingly, both of them didn't bother to glance at his direction as they hurriedly skipped to the fish section. He scowled further and dug his hands into his pocket and eyed at the tank and the bag of salt. Luckily his car had finished its maintenance or he'll have the _time of his life_ carrying these burdens all the way back to Kudo's house.

He tapped his feet on the ground and took his time looking around. The pet shop wasn't exactly big, and he was only calm enough now to notice the only pets that were sold were either fishes or hamsters, though the food and supplies were vast and varied a lot of different animals. No wonder it didn't smell of anything like pee or dust, and it was quiet if Kaito disregarded the faint humming noise coming from the engines and filters from the _fish_ tanks.

 _Stop thinking about that word. Stop._ He urged his mind and took a step towards one of the shelves, ready to use any method to change his form of attention. He peered through the racks before picking out a packet of food from the wire grid hook. His lips parted, mildly surprise at his lucky find. The treats sold here were considerably cheap compared to what he bought online and the expiry dates were much favourable too.

A sound of faint laughter came from the direction of the place he deemed as hell for him. Kaito raised an eyebrow in curiosity and stuffed the packet back to its place. He could almost imagine their cheerful smiles when the two finally came back from their fishing adventure, and he was right. Conan was looking as happy as ever, but something about Aoko's curled up lips distracted him enough to not notice the water-filled poly bag Conan was carrying and the fishes swimming gracefully in it.

"Look!" Conan proudly raised the tied bag like a trophy and received Kaito's fullest attention on it. "We've found Nemo!"

 _Oh God, no._ "Remarkable." He turned away.

"Anyway, Uncle Kuroba," Conan rested the bag on one of his arms, as if he was cradling a baby before he pointed at the packet of snacks with a picture of a dancing bird on the cover, the exact version that Kaito had placed back on the shelf. "Are you thinking about Peeko?"

Kaito wasn't surprised. Nothing ever missed this little boy's eyes. "Yeah."

Aoko blinked with genuine curiosity, her head tilted a little to a side. "Peeko?" She looked cute- SILLY. Kaito meant. Yes. She looked silly.

Conan's grin grew bigger. "It's what Uncle Kuroba calls his bird."

"Dove. Conan. _Dove_." Kaito winced at the brief awkward look he didn't miss from Aoko's face. "Be more specific."

"Can we buy some snacks for Peeko?" Conan showed his puppy eyes, completely oblivious to that little compromised situation he'd created. "I want to feed it."

"I've still got plenty of treats left at home." It wouldn't harm to stock up soon, but his doves were getting fatter and lazier recently. Not a good idea when his performances were around the corner. "Will buy them when it runs out."

Conan nodded. A simple answer was able to satisfy him.

"So," Aoko positioned herself in front of the cash register. "Cash or credit?"

Kaito slipped his wallet out of his sleeve, a work habit he couldn't get rid of. He peeked over at Aoko to see if she'd noticed his unintentional trick, but either she was too focused on her job or she couldn't care. "By credit."

"Okay."

They made the payment without exchanging any more words, only the beeping sound of buttons and Conan's cooing noises filled the silence. In his mind, however, was a different case. His mental clock was ticking away loudly in his head, like a countdown for something he didn't know about, but he was sure it wasn't for anything pleasant.

"Thank you." Aoko passed the final receipt and his card back to him. Their fingers briefly touched and it happened so fast that for the first time, Kaito was slow to react. Acting like nothing had happened, she turned towards the tank and the bag of salt. "Do you have a car?"

"Yeah," Kaito stuffed the receipt and card into his wallet. "I do."

"Lucky you." She watched Conan for a moment. "Can you manage?"

 _"I've walked on air and passed through a metal wall before. This is nothing."_ Was what he planned to say, but from the sincere concern look she was showing him, he couldn't put his sarcasm into words. "I'll be fine," he rolled up his sleeves and hoisted the bag of salt on top of the tank before lifting it up to his chest. "It's actually much lighter than I expected." He said honestly.

"Alright then," Aoko relaxed and nodded comfortingly. "See you around soon."

He should've said no, obviously. There was no reason for him to ever come back again. His job here was done and Conan was happy with his new fishes and Kaito _should_ be happy to leave forever. But all of the sudden, he wasn't sure about it anymore. "Um, yeah."

"Uncle Kuroba! Let's go!" Conan wailed, impatience tainted his voice. "These poor fishes need to be free in their tank!"

Kaito sighed and squeeze his way past the counter. He immediately felt his breathing grew slightly heavier when he glanced at the four clown fishes swimming inside the transparent bag, viciously taunting him. "By the way, I want you to stand at least three arms' length away from me."

"Why?" Conan looked as innocent as usual, but with what he was holding in his hand, Kaito couldn't see him the way he was.

"No reason." Kaito said dryly. "Let's go."

Before he could register what happened, a sudden strong smell of lavender whizzed past him and the bright colour blue hidden in the wave of brown hair turned towards him by the glass door. "Have a safe trip home." Aoko waved, the other hand pressing against the glass door to keep it open. "Bye Conan-kun!"

"Bye Aoko-neechan!" Conan skipped out of the store. "And thank you!"

"Anything for you."

There wasn't any goodbye for him.

 _As if_ that would bother him. Kaito headed out behind Conan and tried his hardest to pretend the urge to turn back didn't exist. And with the promised three arms' distance, they made their way down the streets and towards the car park lot.

.o.

"Stop it, _Peeko_."

Peeko showed the equal signs of frustration and showered Kaito with a pile of its white feathers and clawed his head before fluttering away. Kaito growled and watched Peeko flying high up in the sky and diving down after staying in flight for a moment. Maybe park wasn't the best place to do his training, where all the lonely old men and women would sit on benches and throw pieces of breads for pigeons to eat. Had he been mistreating it? No. Had it been giving too much pressure? No. All Kaito did was to cut down the amount of treats and the first thing Peeko did was to betray him by dumping him to go mix around with its other breed.

He abandoned his props and sprinted across the park and towards the field where he last saw Peeko went. It shouldn't be hard to spot the flawless white among the grey and black, but the first colour he saw was...

 _Isn't that... Nakamori Aoko?_

Maybe it wasn't a colour. Something like the sparkle in her eyes and the bright aura that surrounded her cheerful laughter turned her into a _bountiful_ of colours. The golden sunshine among the black clouds. A clear blue lake in the middle of the dull brown sand. She was radiating with colours that represented _hope_.

Well, close enough. Kaito did feel hopeful and relief when he saw Peeko safe and not thrashed and abused by aggressive crows. Besides that, he saw _her_.

"Where did you come from?" He heard her gentle voice say to Peeko from the distance. He could stand there all day to watch Peeko's head bobbing up and down on Aoko's hand, but something in him told him to move closer so he could hear more of her voice. He obeyed the command in his head and ambled forward till he loomed over her bench.

"Uh."

 _Wow_ , Kuroba Kaito. Really? Again? The same mistake?

Aoko blinked and glanced up, her eyes widening at him in sheer disbelief. He could borrow the same expression too when he first saw her, if she didn't laugh so cute- STUPIDLY. Kaito meant. Yes. If she didn't laugh so stupidly.

"Uncle Kuroba?"

Kaito scowled. "Why are you calling me Uncle Kuroba?"

"It fits you." She beamed and he felt his cheeks ached for her.

He sent her a look disdain as he extended his hand over to Aoko's neck. Peeko jumped further into her shoulder, her shirt was rumpled underneath its claws. " _Peeko_." He emphasized with the additional warning hand movement that all his doves knew. "Come back here."

"So this is the _Peeko_ Conan-kun talked about?" She raised both eyebrows.

"Yeah." He focused on the small bits of treats on her hand, trying at the same time to ignore how her fingers were actually long and slender before his eyes traveled down to the packet of food leaning against her bag beside her. "Those are Peeko's guilty pleasures. No wonder it's attracted to you."

"Can't handle the sense of betrayal, can you?" Aoko remarked and dusted the leftovers onto the ground and gently scooped Peeko off her shoulder. She gave a few comforting strokes and it cooed under her touch. Satisfied, Aoko finally returned Peeko back to Kaito, who was equally as happy with its filled stomach as it hopped off her hand and with a single flap of its wing, it safely perched on Kaito's shoulder.

He sighed. "Thanks."

"What are you doing here with a dove?"

"More than one, actually. I'm having my training here." He explained before looking back, almost forgetting how he left his props unattended. Still, he didn't bother to return to his place. He had all the time in the world to make new ones if those were stolen, but this moment was something he couldn't get back if it was gone. His feet remained rooted to the ground as he turned back to look at her. "What about you?"

"I come here during my free time."

"What about your pet shop?"

"It's co-owned with a friend. We worked on shifts."

"Oh."

"Anyway," Aoko pointed at a random direction. "Aren't you busy with your training or something?"

"Kind of." Kaito murmured, not really sure where this conversation was going. It sounded like it was about to end, that was for sure. Almost desperate, he straightened his posture and Peeko sensed his little tense shoulder as it fluffed up its wings for a moment. Must it betray him _so much_? "Do you want to watch?" He quickly added.

Her eyes brightened. "Can I?"

"Yeah." He was almost too glad for her positive reaction. "If it's not too late to tell you, I'm a magician, by the way."

"I know." Her lips tugged at the corner as she began packing her belongings.

"You know?" His curiosity was at its peak, just like his eyebrows.

"Conan-kun told me." Aoko stood up and a lock of hair happened to fall behind her shoulder. Her smile grew just a little bit wider, if it was possible. "And your top hat gives it away."

"Figures." He had completely forgotten about his hat. He had kept his white suit and cape in the back of his car; not a good idea to wear that in middle of the day and under the sun. Now that he thought about it, this was the exact same attire he had worn when he last saw Aoko, except for the extra red tie he was wearing now. He thought of explaining he had a washing machine and more than one set of the same clothes, but why would that matter anyway? He took the white hat off, revealing his messy hair and turned towards the direction he came from, making sidelong glances just to be sure she was following.

It was like killing two birds with one stone, but of course not in the literal sense. Kaito had his training and Aoko was a good audience to easily satisfy. And when he was halfway through his little impromptu performance, a crowd had already gathered around his table and claps ensued every few seconds he moved a finger. It was always nice to make people happy.

Aoko left near the end, mouthing that she had somewhere she needed go. She finished her silent message with a smile and two thumbs up before disappearing behind the crowd. Kaito would have stopped her, if he wasn't in the middle of levitating a pile of cards.

Yet again, there wasn't any goodbye.

.o.

It could be the end of Kaito's luck, maybe.

The first thing he heard wasn't the sound of the sharp and clear voice he recognized. He looked at the other end of the pet store, already knowing the lady who welcomed him wasn't the one he wanted to see. His heart dropped a little, but since he was here, it would be weird if he just left abruptly.

"Can I do anything to help?" This should be the friend Aoko mentioned about co-owning the pet store. She was wearing big round spectacles, her hair tied into two pigtails that fitted her appearance despite her possible age.

"I can manage." Kaito mustered a smile and headed over to the bird's food section and plucked out the packet of treats he intended to buy and use as a reason to be here. Even though his excuse was invalid now, he might as well make his purchase after coming all the way; Peeko had been acting too restless lately without its usual amount of treats and it wouldn't be good for the upcoming performances. And speaking of restless, his legs had turned a little fidgety when the humming noises from the filters reminded him of the true terror that hid behind the couple of shelves just a distance away from him. He quickly headed to the counter.

He was halfway counting some coins in his pocket to fit the price's decimals when the lady pointed at a tiny plastic stand with small printed letters that stated detailed information and benefits for some kind membership. "Are you interested to become one of our member? It's free, to celebrate our one-year opening." She chimed. "You can earn points to redeem gifts and get further discounts on your birthday month."

A reason. An excuse.

"Sure." He said before he managed to stopped himself. How pathetic was he now, having to go through measures just to- Just to... just to do whatever he was _even_ planning on doing. He watched her pull out a paper from under the desk and he plucked out the pen beside the cash register and began to pen down his information, ones that were far more detailed than the ones he previously written before.

He reached to the bottom of the page and signed before handing back to the paper. She accepted it and flipped through the papers and signed next to his as acknowledgement. "Thank you Kuroba-san. My name is Keiko." Keiko continued through her smiles. "A little apology in advance as your card can only be collected on your next trip here. But it'll be activated as soon as you make your next purchase."

A _good_ reason. A _perfect_ excuse.

He pushed those thoughts away and nodded understandingly. "No problem. And nice to meet you." He mumbled before inwardly chiding himself for the mistake. Couldn't he at least pretend to sound as enthusiastic as meeting Aoko?

"And how's Nakamori-san?"

SHIT.

It wasn't meant to be spoken out loud. He was still in the midst of contemplating if he should ask, and his brain had sided to _Are you a dumb idiot? Of course not,_ but it was all over. His brain was dead. He could feel the colour draining away from his face and he pretentiously coughed to get some redness to his cheek.

Keiko's face fell lax and Kaito could sense her suspicious invisible eye-rays scanning him.

"It's just a casual question." He intercepted. "I've came here before and she had helped me with for my purchase."

Her expression didn't change. "Aoko had her day off today. She's a little busy with her wedding preparation recently."

A sharp pressure rose from his stomach to his chest, something similar to his gastric problem years ago when he'd tumbled on the ground in pain for hours till he could find the energy to call Jii to get him to the hospital. But he was too numb to even fall on knees from the pain, too numb to even say a word and all his sense could do was to stand there like a frozen statue.

For no reason he could comprehend, he felt like the dumbest fool on earth. This was the purest form of karma. Jokes on him now, for all the tricks and pranks he had pulled on everyone in his life.

"I see." He swallowed hard, still finding it difficult to breathe. His trembling icy fingers inched towards the plastic bag Keiko had put his purchase in and grasped it tightly, to the point his hand was shaking for two reasons instead of one. "Thanks anyway."

"You're welcome." Keiko bowed. "Take care."

"You too." He trudged out to the streets and towards the car park.

The past five minutes he had just been through drained all the energy within him to even walk properly. It was all a mistake. He shouldn't be here. He shouldn't even _live_. Nothing in all his life had made him feel this way, and what exactly was he even feeling? Kaito had no bloody idea. He just wanted to run away from whatever that had happened and pretended it was a tour in the pit of hell and he was now back to the real reality.

Why should he care? Stop caring. _Stop caring._ It was none of his business.

A trashcan happened to be in his way and he bitterly, by reflex, kicked it and it toppled, half of its contents spilling out. He squeezed Peeko's treat to fit inside his pocket before grudgingly clearing up his mess, ignoring the couple of judging looks being sent to him.

He was pathetic.

Damn pathetic.

.o.

It had been a busy month for Kaito. After travelling around to perform his magic tour around Asia, he was finally back in Tokyo to get his one full day of sleep he thought he deserved. And to kick start the first day of his one week break, he was here in the park, in the midst of clearing up his booth after his small performance. It was supposed to be his off-day, but magic was his life, not just his work, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

The rest of his doves were sleeping in their sanctuary after his mini performance, saved for Peeko. It was sitting on the crown of his head and replacing the duty of his white hat as it occasionally cooed while Kaito was busy packing his stuff and pecked his head when it was feeling threatened of falling. He sometimes wondered if he was raising a pig disguised as a dove.

As if Peeko was able to feel his brainwaves from its butt, it fluttered its wings and Kaito growled, waving the white feathers off his head and tried to catch that little troublemaker from flying away _again_. Peeko flew to a distance and landed shortly after it took flight, but not on the ground and eating those crumbs that Kaito could have provided better. It was-

Kaito widened his eyes, his breath caught in the middle.

Aoko was snickering in the middle of the small field, her hands nervously supporting Peeko as it settled on her head. From its beady eyes, it looked smugly satisfied to be in the mess of Aoko's brown hair.

He was like a moth and her soft laughter was like a flame. Dangerously beautiful, and he wanted to go towards her so badly even though he knew the consequences. He locked his poker face in place and abandoned the thought from his heart, reminding himself for the thousand times about how stupid he could be if he listened to something as messed up as his emotions. His brain finally won and he remained firm on his ground.

Just his luck, the fire came to him instead.

"I thought you're busy and I didn't want to bother you until you're done." Aoko stood before his messy booth and sheepishly scratched the side of her cheek. "And, hello. It's been long."

"Yeah," Kaito managed a smile. It felt like years, if he had to admit. "Quite long."

"I've watched your performance actually. You really have the talent." Aoko praised as she stroked Peeko on her head. For a moment, Kaito wasn't sure if she was referring to Peeko or him. She confirmed his guess when she looked back at him. "Conan-kun wasn't over-complimenting your skills."

A perfect chance to boost his ego, but something else caught his greater attention. "You've met Conan recently?"

"We chat on the phone occasionally." She explained.

 _Wow._ A _child_ had beaten him in asking a lady's number. Simply wonderful. "I see."

"Anyway, is Peeko trained well?" Aoko hesitated and continued. "With its potty training, I mean."

He resisted the urge to tease her. It wasn't necessary to overstep the boundary any further. "Took me a week."

Aoko sighed gratefully, but a feeling of insecurity still lingered in her eyes. She tentatively peeled Peeko away from her hair and cradled it on her arm, a wiser choice. Peeko didn't mind either. It looked entirely serene, something Kaito missed seeing in the past when it was still young and learning to fly. He knew he wasn't responsible enough to handle children on a long-term, but he didn't expect his incapability had led him to raise a dove and turn it into such a bratty monster.

"Peeko likes you." Kaito couldn't help but say.

"I can tell." Aoko grinned. "Is it like this to anyone who gives it food?"

"Not really." He admitted. "Conan has been trying to gain its trust for many months. I don't know what it's thinking sometimes."

She didn't answer and continued to caress Peeko in her arms. This sight gave him the same kind of satisfaction like watching his wife cradling their baby, but he squashed the thought like a bug. It was pointless to think about it.

"So," Kaito eyed at Aoko's left hand. He had already noticed since the very beginning when she was walking towards him. There wasn't any ring, but it didn't mean anything. It could be too precious to her that she'd kept it in her safe and decided to wear it on the big day. "Your wedding," his throat twisted into a knot and he forced every inch of his muscle to continue. "Congratulation." What came out was like a whimper made by a dog after it lose to a cat in a fight. He tried not to add a wince that was meant for his pitiful self.

She blinked at him, her face blank. "Wedding?"

"Yeah, wedding." He prompted again. "No? Your wedding?"

"What do you mean?" Her face showed no recognition to what he was talking.

"Keiko, your friend. She said you're busy on the day I dropped by because of your wedding preparation." Kaito tried not to remember the sickening feeling he felt in his chest. On the exact week, he was rehearsing for his tour and got into a _little_ accident by falling off a makeshift roof in the performing hall. His lack of concentration was another story to tell, but he was actually happy as he laid on the bed with many ice packs all over his legs while Jii was shouting at him. _Finally_ , he had found a pain that was a bit worse than the turmoil he felt that day, so it was a pretty good distraction.

At first Aoko still didn't look like she understood, but as seconds ticked by, he could see the slow realization dawning upon her face. The first emotion that flickered in her eyes was a sign of embarrassment, and her cheeks immediately turned beet red before she broke down into fits of giggles. Peeko grumbled and bounced off from her arms and returned to its rightful place on Kaito's shoulder.

He couldn't find the energy in him to laugh with her.

"So-Sorry." She wiped a tear that was coming from an eye. "It happened so long ago so it slipped out of my mind for a moment."

"What?" Kaito looked at her, perplexed. "The wedding?"

"No, no. It's all a bluff." Aoko waved a hand. "There's this guy who's been dropping by the pet shop during all my shifts and I guess he didn't understand what a _no_ meant." She sighed, her laughter had died down. "So Keiko took over most of my shifts for the time being and had been telling the men that asked about me that I was getting married. I didn't have a picture of the man and I wasn't interested to know his name either, so all I can give as the description to Keiko was that he has blue eyes."

 _What-?_

"The plan worked." She added merrily. "Although I have to explain to the rest of the innocent ones when they congratulated me on their next visit. Except for you." She murmured, her face went dull and the shape of her round eyes became droopy. "You haven't come around for a long time."

"I can't believe this." Kaito rested a palm over his eyes, his shoulders began shaking uncontrollably and he couldn't hold back the repetitive snorts that escaped his nose. "I can't believe this." He repeated.

"Me too-"

"I can't believe there's actually _someone_ who had his eyes for you and you had to lie about getting married just to get rid of him." Kaito roared with laughter. It was his turn to laugh. He couldn't believe it. He _utterly_ couldn't believe he'd _fitted_ the description of his own dumb joke so perfectly and pathetically that he was too ashamed to even look into Aoko's eyes for a guilty moment, so all he could do was to continue the pretence of laughing at _her_ when it was _himself_ he was laughing at. He choked onto his saliva in the process of it. It seemed Peeko had given up on the two of them and rested on the table instead.

Aoko scowled and placed a hand on her hip. "What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing." He finally caught his breath. All the air he had laughed out had melted the barriers he didn't realize he had built between them. "Absolutely nothing."

She narrowed her eyes dangerously and crossed her arms. "You're a jerk."

"Is that what you're supposed to say to your customer?" Kaito rubbed his eyes, feeling the weariness kicking in from all the chortling. But the relief was there. Some form of relief he didn't understand having helped to calm his previous tensions. He'd never felt so free for a long time.

"Speaking of which," Aoko rolled her eyes. "Your membership card is ready to be picked up any time. Don't forget."

Oh yeah. He had been so busy- so busy avoiding the pet store for the past month that he'd forgotten all about the card he signed up. The _good_ reason. The _perfect_ excuse. There was something for him to return to the pet store.

"Yeah," Kaito nodded. "I will."

"Anyway I've got to go. It's really a great show, by the way." She directed a wave to Peeko before showing the decency to acknowledge and send Kaito her farewell. "See you around soon, Uncle Kuroba."

He stared at her exasperatedly. "Seriously?"

She returned him a chuckle that was enough to make him shut up for the rest of the time as he watched her disappear towards the gates of the park.

.o.

"Here's your membership card." Aoko grinned, showing off her clean set of straight teeth. "Welcome to the club, Uncle Kuroba!"

Even though he had one full week to himself, Kaito was only able to make it to the pet store on the last day of his break. His work was always fun, but there were also impromptu meetings and parties he had to attend even if it wasn't part of the job he loved. Anyway, it wasn't like the bloody fishes or hamsters here in this pet shop missed him or anything. No one would care when he dropped by.

Kaito flicked his gaze at her. "Only people who are ten or younger are entitled to call me that. Are you nine or eight? With your mentality, I assumed it's a seven?" He flipped the card in his hand to admire the design for a bit.

Aoko mockingly gave a peace sign. "I'm always a child at heart." She then crossed her arms and set it on the counter, defensive. "Then what am I supposed to call you?"

"I don't know." He scorned. "Like, my name?"

"Kaito?"

He blinked and straightened his back to regain his composure. "Yeah." There was something in her innocent tone that made him... weird, in a _good_ yet horrible way.

"Kaito. _Kaito._ Kaito?" Aoko spoke his name like a sing-along song, her head tilting from left and right to the rhythm she created herself. "Kaito? Kaito. _Kaito._ "

Something that sparked inside of him had spread from his toenails to the end of his hair like a fire, and it borrowed all the oxygen within him and paid back with the feeling of-

Of-

"Never mind!" He growled. He could feel his fast heartbeat pounding on his ear and was more than glad that Peeko wasn't around to ruin the calm demeanour he was trying to show. "Just call me Uncle Kuroba to your heart's content."

Right at that moment, the glass door swung open and they both turned back to look at the entrance.

"Good evening- Oh, hey!" Keiko gasped, her grip around her sling bag tightened as she tapped on her foot impatiently, her face twisted in some kind of pain before enlightenment engulfed her. "You're _that_ guy!"

"Yes. I'm _that_ guy." Kaito echoed and stuffed his membership card into his wallet.

"Out of everyone, I was _so_ sure you're that creepy stalker." Keiko skipped towards the counter and pointed at his face for emphasis as she looked over at Aoko. "Trust me, he really looked like he died when I said you were getting married."

So much for his _attempted_ poker-face back then, but he wasn't perfect, so that's that. "I'm living and very much still alive. Thank you." He muttered. From his side long glance, he caught Aoko rubbing a thumb on her temple. It could've meant this conversation wasn't brought up the first time and if he tried to defend himself, he was just going to expose his stupid and irrelevant feelings even further. He wasn't that dumb to fall into the trap. He thought if he stayed as impassive as he was now, maybe they would treat it as something impossible sooner or later.

"Oh Keiko," Aoko waved her off and sent a warning look. "It's over anyway and you're wrong. The end."

"If you say so." Keiko shrugged before sending a wink to both of them as she disappeared to the other side of the shop. Kaito didn't understand the meaning behind that unnecessary gesture and he tried to pick out the answer from Aoko's expression. It seemed she was as puzzled as he was.

"Pardon that weird moment." Aoko sighed.

"I've experienced weirder ones. It's fine." His attention wasn't on that matter any longer as he tapped a finger on the counter. "That guy who didn't understand rejection," Kaito's face was plain enough and showed no signs of agitation, but his voice had betrayed him. "Does he still come here?"

"Not anymore." Aoko smiled cheekily, her mood lifted.

"I'm all ready." Keiko appeared again, her bag was gone and her pigtails were tied up neater than before. "You can end your shift now."

Aoko stretched and pumped both fists in the air, a noise Kaito never knew a human could make escaped from her mouth. She cupped it instantaneously, regret filling her face.

"Excuse me." She muffled behind her hand.

What was he supposed to say? That he didn't mind? That he actually liked it? That deep inside his heart, he earnestly hoped to see this relaxed side of her every single morning beside him on the bed? No.

Sticking to his usual reaction instead, he showed a wry smile. Her face grew beet red. It wasn't his intention, but it was still a better choice than the rest he truthfully wanted to make.

She walked around the counter and dashed to the direction where Keiko came from, leaving the two of them standing there with nothing but silence. Not exactly silence; the humming noise that came from the filters got to him every single time. The hair on his arm started to stand and he stuck his hands into his pockets, muttering the lines from the _terms and conditions_ page he'd memorized from some website for times when he needed a distraction.

"If you like her, go for it." Keiko whispered.

Kaito snapped his head towards her. "What?"

"Don't hesitate any longer!"

"Stop your nonsense." Aoko huffed harshly over the counter. He blinked over his shoulder, genuinely surprise with her quiet appearance. She had her bag readily slung over her shoulder and her lips... Was that lip gloss? Aoko turned back to Kaito with a faint apologetic look. "You've got your card, are you staying?"

"Uh, no."

"Then, um," she tentatively pointed at the door. "Shall we go?"

"Yeah."

Aoko hurriedly sprinted towards the glass door and Kaito raised an eyebrow, unsure what the fuss and the sudden rush she was feeling now was all about. He gave a last look back and noticed how Keiko was silently cheering from the counter, her arms moving up and down like she was waving an invisible pompom in her hands. Seeing Keiko like that caused his thoughts to drift to his own tragic choice of friends, like Shinichi (Ew, but yeah) and Hakuba (Another ew, but yeah). He didn't feel any pity for Aoko, but rather, he was glad to have something in common with her.

They stepped out to the busy streets and his hair began rippling in the breeze. He made a lousy attempt and ran his fingers through to keep his hair straight before glancing over at Aoko. She seemed as equally distracted as him, if he had to admit he was staring at the contours of her brows.

"Anyway," Kaito cleared his throat. "Are you free now?"

She dumbly nodded.

"Want to get a drink?" He looked up at the majestic shade of dark orange in the sky. "Or dinner? If you want."

"Okay." Her eyes twinkled in a way it was begging him to smile.

And he did.

.o.

"Tough case, huh?" Kaito shook his head sadly. He was sincerely feeling troubled, with the death and the mystery of the unsolved murder, but he had no idea what he had done to make him look like the unfeeling asshole he always was.

Hakuba narrowed his eyes. "It wouldn't be if we have cooperative witnesses, unlike you."

Kaito raised a gloved hand in defence. "I can't be a cooperative witness when I'm not even a witness."

A body of a man had been discovered two days ago in the very park Kaito had been publicly performing for the past couple of months. His timings were irregular as his own private schedules were always a higher priority than this, so it just happened that he didn't come here to display his acts on the day of the murder. Hakuba was in charge of the case, and with the miserable amount of manpower he had under him, he was part of the assigned team who was asking around for any witnesses. And to Kaito's brilliant luck, Hakuba had found him and he had to stop setting up his booth mid-way to entertain Hakuba's searing frustrating questions that were going nowhere but circles.

"Do you know anyone that might have happened to see something?" Hakuba sighed. " _Anything_."

A face flashed across Kaito's mind. "I have, though I'm not sure if it could be any help." Oh, _no._ He actually knew more than he would ever say. It happened when he went to visit the pet shop and he missed his _chance_ , so Keiko was more than nice to share some _information_ so he wouldn't be _unlucky_ in the future. From his memory, he knew Aoko had an off-day on the day of murder, but he wasn't sure if she was here.

Hakuba raised an eyebrow, his misery cast away for a split second. "Who's that?"

"I'll tell you when you see her." Kaito glanced around. "I've told her I'm performing today and she said she's coming soon."

"Oh, it's a _her_? And you've even told _her_ you're performing today?"

He didn't like the tone Hakuba used. "What?"

"Nothing." Hakuba crossed his arms and tapped his notepad against his sleeve. "Pardon me, being a work hectic and all. How are you, Kuroba?"

"What the hell do you want?"

Hakuba shrugged. "Being concern as a friend. And I'll like to know more about this lady. In the point of view from your private life and also in regards to my work matters."

"I-"

"Kaito?" Their head spun towards the soft voice that abruptly popped out of nowhere. Aoko was standing cautiously next to Hakuba, her eyes scrutinizing him for a moment before looking back at Kaito with a concern gaze. "Is everything alright?"

Before he could respond, Hakuba whipped out his police badge from inside his coat and flashed it over to Kaito's face before showing it to Aoko. "Kuroba Kaito, you're under arrest."

 _-The hell?_

"Hey, wait a minute!" Aoko chirped, her eyes widened to the point it could pop out any moment. "What are you arresting him for?"

"For illegal hawking."

"No you're not!" She snarled. "Kaito isn't selling _anything_. He's just performing his magic to the public without asking for any incentives or money back. That's not fair."

"What's fair is not for you to decide, miss-"

"Nakamori Aoko! I'll be Kaito's witness and I'll prove he had done nothing wrong."

"Two days ago, the fifth of this month. Where were you?"

"Where am I?" Aoko frowned. "I was at my dad's house for the entire day. But how does that involve this?"

Though Hakuba's shoulder slumped by a centimetre, he still kept his perfect interrogation posture and tone in place. "Are you very sure you're not here at this park on that day?"

"Why would I be here?" Her defensive demeanour grew stronger as each second passed. "I mean- Kaito isn't performing that day. There's no reason for me to be here."

Kaito blinked. He remembered Aoko asking him to let her know whenever he was going to perform, but he didn't expect that she had treated his presence _as_ the reason to come to the park. He'd always thought she was here because it was her free time and she wanted to for her ownself.

"You've got a really dedicated audience, Kuroba." Hakuba smirked and kept his badge. Kaito scowled in return.

"What?" Aoko looked back and forth between Hakuba and Kaito, completely confused. "You two know each other?"

"Too well that I wished I could un-know him sometimes." The blonde detective gave a pat on Kaito's shoulder, his indirect method to say those words he just said were meant for air. "Thanks for the help anyway."

"Screw you too." Kaito scoffed.

Hakuba waved and turned on his heels, approaching to the other direction to find other potential witnesses.

Kaito glanced over to Aoko, her head was lowered and ears burning bright red that her brown hair couldn't hide. She took a long while before daring to look at him.

"I didn't expect your defence." He initiated and broke the silence. "Thank you, anyway. I mean, I didn't know you'll do it for me."

"I didn't expect it either." She muttered weakly. "It just... burst, you know?"

"Sorry, uh," Kaito rubbed the back of his neck, not sure what to do with Aoko looking like that. He felt so wrong when he didn't even do anything. Or maybe doing nothing was the wrong thing. "I should've spoken up."

"You couldn't have when I was doing most of the talking." Aoko glanced away, her face cringed. "I should be sorry, to your friend too. I was rude."

"Hakuba enjoyed it, actually. He's an arse like that." Kaito sighed. "He's playing around."

"Really?" She didn't look convinced, and something about her fidgeting actions told him she was slipping away. Away from him. And he didn't like that feeling, not one bit.

"Yes. Anyway," Moving on to another topic would be great. "I still haven't set up my show so it'll be over the promised time. Can you still stay till the end?"

"Yeah, I'm free anyway." She smiled, a bit of herself was back.

He wanted to see more of her like that, and he didn't want to share. He didn't want her smile to be part of the crowd. He only wanted to see hers. Something as simple as the slight movement of her lips suddenly caused the unlocked door somewhere near his heart to open. Everything, every answer, just came crashing on him and he thought it was going to suffocate him if he didn't do anything about it.

"No. No- Change of plans." Kaito began packing up. He dumped all his tools back into his multi-purpose box and Aoko blinked rapidly, her eyes unable to catch his fast hands.

"What, why? What's wrong?" She leaned forward, her voice etched with concern.

"Magic can wait later." He couldn't believe the words that just came out from his mouth, but he continued. It was the truth. "Let's go on a date instead."

Aoko froze. Her mouth was the first to unfreeze and soon, the rest of her body became a wild mess, the kind of mess Kaito liked. Her blue eyes began darting around, her nervous hands that reached to the back of her neck and her collar, her legs trying to balance themselves, as if she was standing on a tightrope. She looked cute. Yes. That's what Kaito meant. Cute. She looked unbelievably cute in every way.

"D-Date?" She finally managed to say, or rather, squeak.

"Actually," Kaito stopped his packing and stared at her. "If you want the magic show, I'll-"

"I would prefer the date!" Aoko exclaimed, her cheeks puffed and red. When it was too late to retract her outburst, she cowered in her position like- Oh God. What on earth was happening to his brain? He could picture himself happy. He could picture himself smiling like an idiot every second as he stared at her all day and Jii rambling at his back for leaving his work undone. He could picture himself training Peeko with a hundred different ways for the surprise marriage proposal. He could picture himself being the shittiest father, but he would learn to do it right. He could picture everything just by looking at Aoko. She was his future.

"I actually preferred the date too." He walked around his booth and stood next to her, their chest inches apart.

"Yeah." She nodded repetitively. "My thoughts exactly."

Kaito leaned forward and breathed in the familiar scent of lavender. "Where shall we go?" He said, his breath on her cheek. She must be holding her breath since he couldn't feel hers.

"Anywhere is fine."

"Me too," Kaito hummed. "Anywhere is fine."

"So..."

"So...?" He echoed, his eyes trailing down to her lips.

He wanted to tell her that he loved her, but he couldn't endure the wait. He kissed her nose, and she kissed his chin. And they kissed, and they kissed, and they kissed.

Words weren't necessary anyway.

.end.

* * *

 _A/N: ABRUPT ENDING ALERT* AND THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER.  
11K words, wow, and I got to STOP myself there since I've got some stuff to do too, so I'm sorry if the ending was a little... what? And so here's my ridiculous attempt on fluff as this idea randomly struck me after watching "Finding Dory" trailers on youtube (Look at how much KaiAO had corrupted my mind)._

 _Ps: Anyway, hello to any Australian readers out there! I'll be heading to Gold Coast tonight hehe and so there won't be any updates till next week too opps._


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